The Nittewa are a Sri Lankan mystery, like all politics here are to me.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Restraint? What Restraint?

Let's think about this whole 'we congratulate the Army for showing restraint' business.

Now if we were to think that the Army did not show this amazing retraint, what would they be doing? Would they be out there killing the LTTE because the LTTE tried to kill their commander? Would they launch assaults on LTTE camps? There are several possible scenarios.

Spontaneous

For the Sri Lankan Army, acting spontaneously and without a strategy or plan, meansa) killing anyone Tamil who crosses their pathb) killing anyone who tires to stop themc) setting fire to Tamil shops and homesd) confusing Muslims with Tamils (goes with the general xenophobic mood)

So, this is apparently what we need to congratulate the Army for not doing. But wait, the Army did do this in Mannar! They haven't done it anywhere else, but they most certainly assisted Sinhala-JVP groups in Trincomalee in attacking Tamil shops.

Yes, thanks boy for all the restrain you've been showing.

Planned

Going out on a limb, let's assume that all this restrain that the Army is being praised for is actually about not carrying out a tactical strike on the LTTE.

The Army follows orders. If they were ordered to carry out a retaliatory attack against the LTTE they would. And they were asked to and they did (killed a whole bunch of civilians too, tactical my ass!). And this attack was only carried out because Mahinda Rajapakse ordered and approved it and his brother Gotabhaya made it happen. It was the political command in Colombo who did not order an attack to be carried out earlier.

So, any congratulation for restraint on that level should go to Mahinda, because the army does, or doesn't do, what he askes them to do or not to do. Capiche?

*****

So, the Army's doing nothing but not behaving like barbarians. If you want to congratulate them for that, then go ahead.

We should sympathies for the people and families who gets killed at a rate in Jaffna by the Sri Lankan army as you say here. According to latest reports they say no tamil people will remain similar to what happened to those sinhalese people lived in Jaffna in another 2 years time, if Army continues to kill them at this rate. Enough said I guess..

The situation in Mannar and Trinco are nothing the army can be proud of. I am not sure if those orders were given by Mahinda or the lower rank guys just reacted based on seeing their collegues die in claymore attack in Mannar. I agree with your sentiments. Army needs to learn the rules of engagement big time.

This is pathetic. Mork and company will go to any length to keep their peace credentials. Why are you guys better than simple minded racists ready to blow everything up till they get what they want? You think you are smarter than them?

I have seen media reports that collateral damage to life and property was minimal from the air strikes and other reports have been dismissive of the 'mass exodus' said to have taken place. Morq, what're your reports?

Deshpalan (Blog.. anon)... I think the reason why Morquendi's Nittewa is read so much & quoted all over the planet is because you know that he has access to a lot of informaiton.

Morq - we do need you to keep updating - pse read Ivap's latest post - it explains how hard it is to guage the situation in S/L. However & I'd like to clarify here, I do not hate Sri Lankans, to do so would be to hate myself, as I have been accused by Electra. So I don't hate Sri Lankans, but I hate what we do to each other & yes I have a temper.

(AP) The Tamil suicide bomber who targeted Sri Lanka's top general used her pregnancy to meticulously plan the attack, an investigator said. Officials previously said the bomber had only pretended to be pregnant, but the investigator said hospital records showed she actually was.

Her attack Tuesday killed 11 people and wounded army commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka and 25 others. It unleashed fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels that has posed the most serious threat yet to a four-year cease fire.

The military launched two days of air strikes against the rebels on Tuesday and Wednesday in apparent retaliation for the suicide bombing. The rebels say the strikes killed 12 and sent thousands fleeing their homes.

The bomber identified as 21-year-old Anoja Kugenthirasah used her pregnancy to conceal explosives and get inside a maternity clinic in the army's heavily fortified headquarters where she attacked the commander, said the investigator, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The woman is believed to have been a member of the dreaded Black Tigers suicide squad.

Fonseka, a battle-hardened soldier with 35 years in the infantry, was appointed to the military's top post after President Mahinda Rajapakse took office in November. He became a formidable enemy of the Tamil Tigers.

The investigator said Kugenthirasah had fake identification showing she was the wife of a clerk working for the Sri Lankan army and indicating she was pregnant.

Every Tuesday, the military hospital inside army headquarters in the capital Colombo holds a maternity clinic, and Kugenthirasah had visited three times, getting to know the guards and learning Fonseka's routine, the investigator said. The general went home for lunch around 1:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Kugenthirasah arrived a half-hour ahead of the clinic opening and stood in front of the hospital, which is beside the road that Fonseka took when he left the headquarters.

As the general's car approached, she moved closer. One of Fonseka's motorcycle escorts shouted at her to get away, but she detonated the bomb shortly afterward. Five of Fonseka's escorts were among those killed in the blast.

Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said he was aware of the initial findings of the bombing investigation but declined to comment until it was over.

The Black Tigers are renowned for their skill at suicide bombings against military, government and civilian targets. Victims have included former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The Tiger rebels have fought the government since 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, accusing the majority Sinhalese-dominated state of discrimination.

On Dec. 4, the Tigers carried out the first major attack since the 2002 cease-fire, killing 12 navy sailors. Dozens of rebel attacks followed.

Sri Lanka's military at first exercised restraint, but Fonseka urged retaliation and the military began to return fire when attacked.

In a sign that tensions may be easing, however, the military said Thursday it would halt airstrikes if the insurgents stopped their attacks. On Friday, the government reopened roads linking rebel-held territory with government-controlled areas.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said between 7,000 and 8,000 people were displaced in the recent air force bombing of rebel bases. The agency asked for immediate access to affected villages.

"The loss of life, the new displacement of families, the destruction to businesses and property, as well as threats to humanitarian workers, are creating a climate of fear and tension for civilians," Jan Egeland, the U.N.'s Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement, calling on both sides to "to ensure full protection of civilians."

Norwegian mediators said Friday the Sri Lanka government and Tamil rebels have agreed to meet for peace talks in Geneva, but no date has been set. The two sides had been set to meet in the Swiss city earlier this week, but the rebels backed out, citing attacks on Tamil civilians and other disputes.

"Both parties have in principle agreed to a Geneva meeting" as soon as possible, Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim said.

The European Union, the United States, Norway and Japan are co-chairs of the peace process.

TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka (AP) - A bomb blast in northern Sri Lanka killed four civilians and one navy officer Monday, police and witnesses said, adding to concerns that the island nation could fall back into civil war.

The bomb apparently was aimed at a naval foot patrol when it exploded, said police officer Nihal Samarakoon, who confirmed the deaths. He said three navy officers also were wounded. There was a pool of blood on the road, as residents and police tried to help those wounded by the blast.

A police officer, who identified himself as Senanayake and said he was the area's chief police inspector, blamed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack.

Kamalachandran, a resident, who was inside his home said he heard the sound of the explosion and came out to see his daughter in a pool of blood.

She was spreading washed clothes on a string to dry, when splinters from the explosion hit her. She bled profusely as she was taken to a hospital.

"The people who did it are not humans, there are small children and ladies around. They are no better than animals," said Kamalachandran, who like many Tamils, use only one name.

Kamalachandran, who held his granddaughter as he spoke, said he was not sure if his daughter was dead or alive.

At the blast sight, ladies' handbags and the belongings of families returning from morning market were strewn across the street. Blood could be seen several metres away from where the bomb exploded.

Separately, fighting between Tamil rebels and the army in an area about 100 kilometres north of Trincomalee eased Monday, said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe.

The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam launched shells on two army positions for about three hours from the sea and land late Sunday, drawing retaliatory fire from troops.

Samarasinghe said the military suffered no casualties, and it was not immediately known if the rebels were killed.

Meanwhile, the government cancelled all May Day rallies in Colombo because of fears it could trigger violence, said police spokesman Rienzie Perera. Traditionally, almost all political parties hold May Day rallies on May 1, followed by respective huge party meetings.

The flare-up in violence has added urgency to efforts by European cease-fire monitors to get the government and rebels to resume peace talks.

Near-daily violence over the past week - including a suicide attack by a suspected rebel targeting Sri Lanka's top military general last week - could push relations between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to the point of collapse.

Relations between the government and the LTTE have sharply deteriorated after a suspected rebel suicide bomber attacked the country's top military general in Colombo on Tuesday. The general was seriously injured and 11 people were killed.

The government ordered retaliatory air strikes that killed 12 people and displaced thousands in the northeast.

The recent violence between the Tigers and the government has raised fears of a return to civil war in the South Asian nation, where a two-decade civil war was halted by a 2002 cease-fire.

You hide safely behind your keyboards and video cameras, in Colombo, London, Toronto, while crying for our brothers and sisters. You only see them as ammunition for your own wars against your own insecurities. What humanism are you practising? Taking potshots at the idiots in government? Is that the war you choose to fight when civilized behavior is threatened by those who kill to win? Idiots in the Army or Cabinet come and go, but what about the maniacs who hide behind human rights when absolute power is all they want? What kind of lunatics are you people to see the tree and ignore the woods? If you give in to people who think they can kill at will against all of the civilized world, why do you feed it with selective information? What revolution are you going fighting for? For all your hotheaded defence of the indefencible, why feel proud of who you are? Aren't you just little cogs in a big machine that will use you and dump you till its vengence gets done?

Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a bomb in a busy street in northeastern Sri Lanka - on Monday, killing four members of a family and a navy officer, and adding to fears the country could fall back into civil war.

The rebels also attacked a navy ship nearby, wounding at least five sailors, and gunned down two members of the country's majority ethnic Sinhalese community, authorities said.

The bomb in the city of Trincomalee was apparently aimed at a naval foot patrol, but a passing motorized rickshaw took the force of the explosion. Blood and pieces of flesh littered the road.

**************************************************************

``The people who did it are not humans. There are small children and ladies around. They are no better than animals,'' said Kamalachandran, a witness whose daughter was badly injured in the blast. Like many ethnic Tamils, she goes by one name.

``They don't want peace,'' he said at the scene of the blast. ``They want to break this town's spirit.''

The bomb was concealed in a bicycle and apparently detonated by remote control, he said.

The civilian victims, all ethnic Tamils, came from the same family, said relatives and hospital officials.

``My life is finished now,'' said Subedra, who lost his mother, daughter and son in the blast.

``Nothing is important,'' he said after hugging and kissing the bloodied corpse of his mother at a local morgue.

Meanwhile rebels killed two Sinhalese as they drove their tractor through a remote village about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, the defense ministry said, giving no more details.

For the information of Foreign Governments, the International Community and the Media

THE KILLING OF INNOCENTS IN SRI LANKA (April 2006)

This is not an Appeal, nor a Plea – humanitarian or otherwise. It is to apprise foreign Governments, the international media, religious leaders, NGOs, leaders of civic society and people outside Sri Lanka, of what is going on in that country.

It is NOT a request for help or intervention. I am merely presenting the facts to the outside world and my sympathy to a devastated people in Trincomalee.

1. On 25 April 2006 a female suicide bomber dressed as a pregnant woman was ‘visiting’ the Sri Lankan Army hospital in the Army Headquarters in Colombo. This is in one of the heavilyguarded and most secured “High Security Zones” in the island. She could not have got to where she was (outside the Army hospital) without “inside help” ie from a member(s) of the Armed Forces (almost 100% Sinhalese).

2. She waited for the Army Commander, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, and threw herself in front of his limousine, detonating the explosives strapped on her. Five of his body guards on heavily armed motorcycles were killed, as were three others. Fonseka was injured but survived.

3. I am not going to speculate on the identity of the female suicide bomber. The claim, as always, is that she was from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). If she was, to get to where she stood, she would have needed to have some very ‘close connections’ with the Security Forces, a possible but unlikely scenario. The alternative possibility is that she could equally well have been from a Sinhalese extremist group that has been urging the President Mahinda Rajapakse to take a hard (or harder) line, abandon the Ceasefire, return to ‘war’ and ‘smash’ the LTTE.

4. I will not elaborate on the highly questionable human rights record of Fonseka when he was the Commander of the Sri Lankan ‘Security Forces’ in Jaffna in the Tamil North a decade ago. Hundreds of Tamil civilians held in custody without charge or trial ‘disappeared’ – their tortured bodies later found in mass graves It was one of his own Army soldiers who, under oath, in the Supreme Court in Colombo, showed where the mass graves were located, adding that some were alive when buried. An exhumation with international observers, including Amnesty International, confirmed that the victims had been tortured and killed. I am not accusing Fonseka of killing anyone. However, the victims were in his custody and he is answerable. He could not have been unaware of what was going on. That said, I condemn all killings or attempted killings – deserved or not.

5. Within hours of the explosion in Colombo, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces launched air and artillery attacks in Trincomalee in the East – some 150km away. The speed at which this occurred leaves not the slightest doubt that it was pre-planned. 6. Seven Tamil villages near Trincomalee were indiscriminately bombed and shelled. Israeli-built Kfir war planes made 5 ‘visits’ dropping scores of bombs on civilian targets while the Sri Lankan Navy shelled the area from gun boats which fortuitously ‘happened to be’ off the coast. Between 6.30pm and 8pm on 25 April 2006, some 96 naval shells landed in just one area alone. Air strikes continued the next day.

The one thing everyone remembers is how good-looking the assassin was. She had ochre skin, dark eyes, black hair that brushed her waist and, in that way of many pregnant women, her face glowed. "She was an intensely beautiful woman," says Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Nanda Mallawarachchi.

She was 21-year-old Anoja Kugenthirasah, an ethnic Tamil from the village of Poovarasakulam, a few kilometers from the de facto border between government and rebel territory in northern Sri Lanka. Around 1:25 p.m. last Tuesday, Kugenthirasah arrived at the front gate of the Sri Lankan army headquarters in the capital Colombo, produced an identity card, and named an officer she said was her husband. Indicating her bump, she told the guards she was due at the army clinic for a check-up.

They had no reason to be suspicious: Tuesday was family day at the clinic and Kugenthirasah had been coming for weeks. A guard offered her a lift. She arrived at the clinic just as the commander of the Sri Lankan army, Lt.-Gen. Sarath Fonseka, was leaving his nearby office for lunch. Eyewitnesses say Kugenthirasah walked away from the clinic and strode toward Fonseka's heavily guarded convoy. A motorcycle outrider spotted her, says military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe. Her determined manner, that bump—it didn't look right. The outrider swerved, blocked her path and, when she kept coming, dismounted and kicked her to the ground. As she lay there with Fonseka's car a few feet away, a blinding flash erupted from her belly. Nine people died and 29 were injured. A 10th died three days later. Fonseka was in critical condition and on life support, but stable. Forensic experts initially said Kugenthirasah's "baby" was several kilograms of explosives strapped to her belly. Last Saturday investigators said hospital records showed that, under the explosives, she might indeed have been pregnant and had been attending maternity classes at the clinic for three weeks as she planned her attack. Kugenthirasah's head was found in a tree. Her face, that face, barely had a scratch on it.

Though they denied involvement, Kugenthirasah was thought to be a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (L.T.T.E.), a rebel group that has been fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for 23 years.

Thank you Ashanthi, yes I know who Morq is and trust that he would have better access to info that I would as it stands, which is why I ask. Morq: I ask again.

Ashanthi, you make some very interesting comments with regard to the identity of the suicide bomber (or lack of establishment, thereof). While it is poor practice to conclude on prima facie evidence, if your hypothesis is true, this would indeed be the first instance of using a suicide bomber by Singhalese hardliners. Further, if the motive for such was frustration on the soft stance of the government vis-a-vis the LTTE, what can be achieved by eliminating a military commander - who as very correctly pointed out on this forum recently - merely follow dictates of the Commander-in-Chief? Would not the real policy-makers be a better option in line with your hypothosis?

I am no supporter of any hardliner - Singhalese or Tamil. It is a path of reason that I have put forth.

As a matter of interest: what is your take: Q: Do you consider the LTTE an organisation that has committed terrorist atrocities?

Despalana - I am quite overjoyed that you at least have a blogging id although curious that you have not written anything for sometime & do not allow people to leave comments on your post.

Morq - could you please do me a favour and edit the article by inserting the following:-Written by Brian Senivaratne.

As you may or may not know Desh, Brian is Chandrika's cousin.

He is an old man and I would say he has his sources. I am just as surprised about what he suggests but let's get to the crux of the matter...

Hardliners on both sides must not be condoned.I agree.

As for the ltte being a terrorist organisation, they are I'm afraid more than that - they are a very ruthless & efficient terrorist organisation.

If you have read any of Rohan Gunaratne's work (although I find the man an opportunist who makes a name for himself out other peoples misery) - you will see a recurring theme. He explains the brutality of S/L's 2 terrorist organisations the JVP & the ltte coming into existence because of an equally brutal government.

Ultimatelly though, we all have to ask ourselves the question, how are we going to stop this.

I see no alternative to foreign troops and a seperation of 2 people whoose hatred for each other is best forgotten as opposed to appeased.

For the over-valued goal of maintaing Power I have to say, no-one has the right to allow the terror & killing to continue.

When I see what a splintered group even Sri Lankan bloggers are, I realise that it is just NOT possible to have any dimension of difference within Sri Lankan society.Whereas you would expect Morq & S/nut & Indi to all be working together to support the truth & initiatives on peace, there is never-ending venomous mudslinging and personal attacks. It's a blog & that's fine but I gather these people are like this to each other in real life.

I have sided with Morq not because I support the ltte, but because like Brian Senivaratne, firstly he is Sinhalese & secondlly because these a 2 rare individuals who are not blindly following newspaper reports when they know full well how controlled the press is. The constant immature schmindi vs Morq thing is a further reminder that even when Sri Lankans are on the same side, they cannot help but vie against each other for dominance.

What do you think Desh - do you think it's because we eat too many spices which over-excite us? This is my latest theory on why we are so hot-headed :-)

The fact that there are even protests now (this is on indi's blog) about the number of comments that I have alledgedly made, the fact that I class "sinhalese bloggers" as my friends is astounding. As I've said before Indi would not even have a blog if not for Morq & myself??? Certainly he wouldn't have such a loyal gob-smacked following from a bunch of kids.

You ask a very pointed question, I presume you do so in the hope that I will incriminate myself? Fact is I support an end to the killing with effect immediately. Do you? This means discipling the SL army & police, ruthlessly. They need to be re-educated & they must learn to win hearts & minds over. It's a long process but the only thing that will make the ltte irrelevant.

There is another thing that will stop the killing immediately. This is compulsory army service for 3 years for ALL Sri Lankan men & women from the age of 18. The worst form of racism is occuring in Sri Lanka at the moment whereby only rural, poor & uneducated young men are being sent to join the army. I know these boys are brutalised in the army & they then go on to become brutal themselves. Anyone who is part of a war machine, becomes severely affected but how can Sri Lankans allow it to cynically only pick it's most vulnerable.The very structure & make-up of Sri lankan society in the south is being shredded. In the north & east the structure of society is destroyed. Very soon, we'll only have one suburb left in S/L - Colombo 7 & in it will be the likes of indi & sophist. Scary isn't it.

Desh - it is a desperate time, right now, if more killings are committed there will be no going back.

In order to give peace a chance, we must draw a line in the sand and ask the world to keep us apart. Soverignity be damned, the people must demand this.

Oh bloody hell - I wish I'd never, ever, been an Anon or an Anon de Non de Non... I'm being punished now for my past sins. It's another whole ethical debate isn't it - do we treat Anon's like the pariahs they are or do we engage them so that one day they may redeem themselves...

Well in the hope these Anon's might elevate themselves to at least Troll status - i shall respond to this one, unwillingly though.

Anon above - are you the same ning-nong that has challenged me to find your blogger id. Just to let you know I didn't publish your comment earlier because my laptop treated it as if it was trash - you didn't send me a virus did you :-). Also - I've been very lazy & left no comments on my blog for yonks so please don't bother sending things to me - it's a pain for me to load them up ok. There be a good little anon...

Next - let's just all stop being Sri Lankan for a while shall we. Let's be human beings. I am a woman. The thought of some other woman blowing herself up when she is pregnant really makes me ponder. The fact that she was hanging around soldiers ,able to just saunter in their right up to the big Mr Fonseka himself, really, really makes me ponder...

As a woman one can only deduce that she really, really wanted to terminate her pregnancy & her life. She choose to do so in a very public & brutal manner. Why? Personal choice perhaps?

Now - you say,no it was not her personal choice. You say that the ltte put her up to this. Well i tell you what, if this is what they can get a pregnant woman to do - they can get anyone to do anything. So I would say - be careful.

The ltte, have not condemned this act yet. I think this is very telling. Days have passed and they have not said boo about it. Whereas with Lux Kadi's death they denied it on numerous occasions. I would say anon - you don't need to ask me who dunnit.

I think we're all feeling very uneasy because we all know that it is probably only them that have the intelligence on the ground and people in position (pregnant or otherwise) to have done this.

As a woman I feel (because us women are not like you men - we feel, we don't know :-) strongly that this woman wanted to kill her child. Why? Who was the father? Why are pregnant women allowed in the vicinity of gun-totting soldiers in the most heavily guarded barracks in Sri Lanka?

If this woman was a ltte Tamil seperatist fanatical nationalist, why did she want to kill her child.Her Tamil child, presuming the father was Tamil. Why would she do this?

Ah - I forgot - she used her pregnancy to hide the explosives. Hmmm... possible in such a militarily sensitive strategic place, regardless of her pregnancy she must have been checked. How did she have such a rapport with the soldiers of Fonseka's heavily guarded head-quarters, that she was able to saunter in and out as she pleased?

There is a very big lesson here for the Politicians of the GOSL. Keep a very, very close eye on what your soldiers from top to bottom are doing & who they are fratenising with. Civilian access to Soldiers & vice versa - must be completely minimised.

Also - interestingly enough, politicians in Sri Lanka are no longer the biggest targets - soldiers are. Is this because they have been killing, raping & bashing everyone up for years & years & now they are getting it back? Quite possibly so.

So Anon - do I approve of yet another horrific Sri Lankan tragedy - no stupid I don't. It makes me sick, stupid & it would make anyone sick as a woman first and foremost.

But, so long as you stupid Sri Lankans keep killing each other you stupid Sri Lankans are going to die.

Akal - which ex-anon are you? Or are you visiting from schmindi's blog.

Not that you would know but I bitch about every murdering Sri Lankan swine - army, police, ltte, jvp, jhu, bandaranike, julius jaywardene, karuna, tamil armed group, suicide bomber & middle class fuckwit like you who is sitting back at home whilst your fellow Sri Lankans die in agony & anguish.

Sorry if you don't like anyone bitching about the army, your favourite murdering Sri Lankan. Maybe I do bitch about them most because they're supposed to represent all of us & protect ALL OF US - got it, you know TAMILS TOO.

don't worry about me & who you think i'm bitching about - go do something about it or shut-up you moron.

When the fuck did you last bitch about the LTTE you fucking slag? What the fuck are you doing hiding in Australia like a cowardly cunt? Do you enoy spreading your legs for the LTTE you fucking piece of shit?

Fucking whore, get pregnant and blow yourself up like a Tamil suicide bomber or shut up.

Ashanthi. The evidence suggests that the woman had been planning this for months. She was attending an army hospital in her hometown for routine check ups, and came to the colombo hospital for advice on some complications. That's how she managed to get in. No one would do a thorough body search on a pregnant woman - Tamil or not.

Perhaps you should leave your prejudices (well justified as they may be) and look at the facts of this particular incident.

Ok I typed this yesterday but doesn't seem to have been posted so here goes again:

The mere fact that someone is Chandrika's cousin is I'm afraid rather insufficient in my eyes, to give that someone's claims anymore legitimacy.

Yes I do ask a pointed question and your response was clear, even though it appears that some 'anons' here have queried further. May I mention though, that you have condemned all other groups for killings with the exception of the LTTE? Might I then put this down to human error?

Do I want an end to the killings? Of course I do! All of it - rebel/terrorist killings and the genocide - must stop! Else Mahatma Gandhi's words "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" with hold true sans much doubt. None of it is justified - the killing of innocent civilians must stop and it makes no difference whether this is carried out by the machinery of the State or the LTTE. These are crimes against humanity.

Yes I have read Rohan Gunaratna's work, in fact I have some of it sitting on my bookshelf right now. What he maps out/what you speak of is a common path to deligitimisation: where there's an oppressor, there is an oppressed; and someday, this oppressed will retaliate.

Are we hot-headed cause we eat too many spices? Hmmm Ashanthi, food for thought indeed:)

The Amnesty International has slammed the Government of Sri Lanka as having a record of "disturbing pattern of incomplete or ineffective investigations" of the extrajudicial killings and said it has received credible reports that Sri Lanka Navy personnel and armed cadres affiliated with Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), were present at the massacre site on Kayts islet. Thirteen civilians were massacred in three spots on the Kayts islet controlled by the Sri Lanka Navy Saturday night. The EPDP, a paramilitary and a political party in the ruling UPFA alliance of the SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, had exercised tight control of the Jaffna islets before the Ceasefire Agreement.

Your must be very upset when strangers think that being moderate is not just being popular with the in-crowd. And it must be upsetting for you to see anyone questioning their moral high ground, aren't you? Deep down somewhere you must know your buddies are not the angels they want you to think they are. Why not actually admit that LTTE is a terrorist outfit? Why can't you admit that your boys have been using extreme terrorist tactics against an unarmed civilians for so long, of every kind, that they are unable stop taking down everyone their path? The only language LTTE-mindset understand is tribalism. Why should all Tamils be held hostage to their demonic visions? Why are you just silent and run away, when you can add your voice to those who can say terrorism is terrorism? Why not at least pretend, like some others, that your humanism does not stop with the great Tamil race? What justification does anyone have to push civilians to take the heat, whether Sinhala or Tamil? Why can't you even just say it? Is LTTE a terrorist group to you? Are you just another racist despite your pretences, just like many of those you keep company with?